


Being a Queen

by chartrand1331



Category: The Royal Romance (Visual Novel)
Genre: Before The Royal Romance, Blind Date, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:53:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26095177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chartrand1331/pseuds/chartrand1331
Summary: Katrina Skiba is set up on a blind date with Liam Rys, The Crown Prince of Cordonia.However, is she Queen material?
Relationships: Drake Walker/Main Character (The Royal Romance), Liam/Main Character (The Royal Romance)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> * Because of family emergencies, writing is a bit on the slow side.  
> ** My primary language is French.

I frantically sit up in my bed, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. My eyes zone in on my alarm clock and I start to panic. The only person who would ever call me at this ungodly hour of the morning is my mother. My father has been in and out of the hospital lately with kidney and liver problems, and he refuses any extreme medical interventions. It’s only a matter of time before I get the call telling me that he has finally passed away.

But the ringtone that is playing doesn’t belong to my mom; it belongs to my best friend, David. He moved to Cordonia a few years back to be with the love of his life, Simon.  
Simon got the opportunity of the century to become the personal chef to the King of Cordonia and he took it which caused my two friends to split up. David was absolutely miserable without his other half and I convinced him to just go get his man back. So he did and they’ve been happy ever since.  
  
I lean over, grab my phone off the nightstand and answer the call.  
“Hello?” I say groggily.  
“Ah shit! I forgot about the time difference! I’ll call you back later” David says.  
“You have me on the phone now, might as well just talk.”  
  
David took a deep breath and let it out but he didn’t say anything. I could tell he was trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to get out of his system. David wasn’t exactly the greatest person with words. He would bluntly tell you what he was thinking or feeling, so for David to be this quiet, I knew it was important.  
  
“I want to set you up on a blind date” he says calmly, which is not like him.  
Whenever he wanted to set me up with someone, he’d be bouncing off the walls and his voice would crack.  
  
David and I were instant friends in high school. We were the only two English kids in the school and we gravitated towards one another because of it. We were constantly together and had each other’s backs. Everyone, including the staff, thought we were dating because we were just _that_ close. Even when Simon came along a few years later, the three of us were inseparable and rumors went around that we were having threesomes all the time.

“What?” I laugh. I was not expecting that to come out of his mouth. “A blind date? But you’re an ocean away from me.”  
“Long story short, Liam wants to meet someone who is smart, funny and someone who can handle herself in tough situations. When I told him a bit more about you, he asked when I could set it up” he says.  
“I don’t know David...” I start.  
“Let me send you some pictures of him...” I hear a few beeps over the line and then he says “there, the pictures are sent.”  
  
I look at the photos he sent me and, oh my, this Liam guy is pretty darn cute. He’s Asian, Korean maybe, tall with black hair and hazel eyes. He’s well built and has strong shoulders. I can only imagine what the rest of him looks like but the photo cuts off his right below his pecs.  
  
“I admit, he’s rather handsome, but men like that never fall for women like me.”  
What I mean by that is... I’m fat. I’m not going to lie. I’m short and fat.  
Tall, athletic, muscular men like Liam would never want to be seen with someone who looks like me. It’s rare to see and I don’t see myself being an exception any time soon.

“Katrina, I told him that you were a plus size woman and you know what he said to me?” David asks.  
“No, what?”  
“He said that he wanted to fall in love with someone for who they are, not what they look like. He also said that he thought he had fallen in love before but it was artificial. He wants something real. When I was talking about you, it was the first time I saw a genuine smile from him. So will you meet him?”  
“Will you guys be coming to Montreal or what?” I ask him.  
“Actually, you’ll need to come here. Liam is... quite important in Cordonia.”  
“Important how?”  
  
There’s another silence on the phone.  
  
“He’s the Crown Prince and pretty soon he’ll be the King of Cordonia.”  
“WHAT?”


	2. Journey to Cordonia

David and Simon made all of the arrangements for my travels. My plane leaves January 5th at 8 pm which means I’d be arriving in Cordonia the following morning. They wanted me to come sooner but I had some _family obligations_ over the Holidays that I couldn’t get out of, not that I wanted to either.

It’s four in the after noon and I call myself a taxi.  
“Baby, your flight doesn’t leave for another four hours, why are you leaving so early?” my mom asks.  
“Traffic, mom. Plus, I have to be there like 2 hours before boarding.”  
  
My mom nods and hugs me. I feel absolutely horrible leaving my mother here, all alone, to care for my father. I mean, the home nurse comes everyday to assist my father with his activities of daily living, giving my mom a tiny break, but I still feel bad about it. The only reason she feels OK with me going on such a big trip, is the fact that I haven’t seen David or Simon in so long.  
  
When my taxi arrives, the driver and my mom help me with my luggage and I give my mom an extra long hug before getting into the car. Before the car pulls away from my house, I roll down my window to say one final goodbye to my mother.  
“Give Simon and David a hug for me when you see them” she says.  
“I will. Take care of dad.”

As expected, the drive was tortuous because of the traffic. Once I get to the airport, the driver helps me set up my luggage on a trolley and I give him an extra twenty in cash.

I make my way to the international counter and wait in line to check-in. I hand over my luggage and then follow the signs for the security gate next to the departure halls. Once I’m through, I find my departure gate and wait with my carry-on between my feet. I’m kinda bored after a while so I decide to find a place to eat.

When I arrive at the food court, I look over my options before settling on Thai Express. I get the Pad Thai with chicken and shrimp and sit down at a table to enjoy my meal. Once I’m done, I browse the little gift shops and buy myself a sudoku puzzle book. I brought a book with me for the flight but just in case I get tired of reading, I’ll have something else to do.

It’s finally time to get on the plane and I find my seat. I’m thankful that my friends got me a seat next to the window and paid extra so no one would sit next to me. When the plane takes off, I cozy up into the seat and start reading the Stephen King book I brought along for the journey to Cordonia. When the flight attendant, a decent looking man named Daniel, asked if I would like a beverage or snack, I asked for a bottle of water and some chips. The trip wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Ma’am, the plane has landed” I hear a male voice tell me with a gentle hand on my shoulder. I open my eyes and see Daniel in front of me with a cute smile on his face.  
“Oh! I’m sorry!” I say.  
“It’s fine. The seats are quite comfy. Do you need help retrieving your carry-on?” he asks.  
“Nope, I’m good. Thanks.”  
I get up from my seat and grab my carry-on from the overheard compartment. I roll it behind me down the aisle. I thank the captain as I get off onto the apron.

The airport is a small thing. I walk into the building and pass through customs within minutes. The longest part is waiting for my luggage on the carousel. Once I finally found it, I walk out of the airport and find my two friends waiting for me.

“Oh, Katrina! You’re finally here!” David screams, throwing his arms in the air as he run over to me. He gives me a big tight squeeze and I can’t help but smile. Simon is slowly walking over to us and he joins in as well. I wrap my arms around both of them.  
“I have definitely missed you guys.”  
  
When they finally let go of me, David takes my carry-on while Simon grabs my luggage and we walk over to their car. I slip into the backseat and then we’re off!  
Forty minutes later, we arrive at a beautiful wooded area with a brick country house with a red door and red window frames. It looks exactly like the house I almost bought back home with a friend but when my father took ill, I decided to stay with my parents in the little basement apartment of their triplex to help them out.

David and Simon show me to my room and let me freshen up a bit. I join them downstairs in the living room. I look around and I see five pictures of the three of us from our high school and college days.  
“This is my favourite picture of us” I say, grabbing the one of us from prom.  
“It was a great night” Simon says.  
“So,” I say, putting the picture back down on the end table and turning around, “you never told me why this Liam guy wants to be set up on a blind date.”  
My two friends look at each other and David is the first to talk.  
“When the Crown Prince turns thirty, there’s this thing called a Social Season where ladies from Noble Houses... compete for the princes’ hand. But if the Prince already has a girlfriend, there’s no need for one. I think Liam is trying to avoid it.”  
“So you’re saying it’s like The Bachelor?”  
“Yes! Exactly!”  
“So he’s 30 years old?” I ask.  
“He’ll be turning thirty in September and the social season will happen next April or May” Simon answers. “He’s a very level-headed guy and he’s extremely nice, Katrina. I wouldn’t have let David contact you if I thought Liam was a total dipshit.”

I start laughing. Not just any kind of laugh; a belly laugh. I haven’t laughed this hard since before my fathers’ grim diagnosis. Tears are literally falling down my cheeks and I’m holding my stomach because it hurts. After a few minutes, I let out a sigh and ask “So, when am I meeting this non-dipshit?”  
  
“Tonight at supper” they both tell me.  
  



	3. The Supper

“Tonight?” I gawk at them and they smile. “Guys, that doesn’t give me much time to get ready for the Prince!”   
  


Simon and David start laughing. They are laughing so hard, in fact, that David is bent over holding his stomach. Simon is just grinning like an idiot.   
“It will be more like a double date. Liam is coming here to the house and yours truly will be cooking.”  
I look up at Simon and I ask him what he’s making.   
“Oh nothing too crazy or fancy. Just steak, loaded baked potatoes and buttered green beans with a side salad and garlic bread au gratin. And for dessert...”  
“Let me guess,” I interrupt him, “Chocolate Crème Brûlée?”  
“Am I that predictable?” Simon asks.  
“Yes!” both David and I answer with more laughs.

^^^

At 5 pm, I decide to take a shower so I can tame my wild plane hair. When I’m all done, I start styling my hair (down with soft curls) and I put on some makeup. I usually don’t wear makeup but I think meeting a _Prince_ is a great time to wear some. Now what to wear?  
  
I open the bathroom door and call out to the boys, “Guys! What the fuck do I wear tonight? Is this thing casual, formal or somewhere in between?”  
Both David and Simon walk up the stairs to my room where I had laid out nearly all my clothes on the bed.   
“I told Liam to dress casually,” Simon says. “Do you have a pair of skinny jeans and a deep V-neck top?”  
“Really? Cleavage?”   
“He is a straight man, afterall...”  
  
I roll my eyes and invite them to look over the clothes I brought with me. David has an eye for this kind of thing. We used to go shopping all the time and he always has three phrases he said to me while trying on clothes. If he didn’t like it, he’d say “Get right back in there and take it off.” If the piece of clothing was OK, he’d say “Maybe a different colour or neckline?” But if something looked amazing on me, he’d say “Honey, if I wasn’t gay, I’d do you right now!”   
So I trust David’s opinion on what I wear.

David chooses my extremely tight skinny black jeans-that I’m embarrassed to say that I need to wear spanx under them- and a deep purple which just happens to have the plunging neckline Simon suggested. “You should accessorize a bit too. A necklace of a few rings, maybe?” David says.   
  
I try the outfit on and I look at myself in the full length mirror. I look presentable but is it enough for the future King?   
  
Simon smiles before leaving the room to check up on supper. I turn back to the mirror and I start to... panic?! Is this what a panic attack feels like?   
David looks at me and his eyes bulge. “Katrina, sweetheart. Are you feeling alright?”  
“David,” I grab his hand in mine, “I can’t do this. He’s not going to like me. I’m fat and ugly and not fun. This was a bad idea!”  
“Since when is the toughest girl in Verdun scared of what a b _oy_ thinks of her?”  
“He’s not just any boy... He’s a Prince. And a fucking handsome one at that. With gorgeous teeth! Oh and... there’s the fact that if we like each other I will become a QUEEN!” I yell while my whole body shakes.   
  
Just then, the doorbell rings and I let out a squeak.   
  
“David, I’m at a crucial part of cooking. Can you get the door?”  
“On it” he calls down.   
Before leaving me, he kisses my forehead and says “Tu es belle. Tu es fine. Tu es capable.”  
I nod and he leaves to answer the door.

“Je suis belle. Je suis fine. Je suis capable.” I repeat the mantra again and again.   
_I am beautiful. I am kind. I am capable._ This was our mantra whenever life got a little bit overwhelming. Kind of like right now.   
I look at myself again and repeat the words until I start to believe them.   
  
Am I nervous? Fuck yes, but I can do it! Liam wanted someone who was nice, generous, smart and real. I am all of that without even trying. Here goes nothing!  
  
I close the door behind me and I slowly make my way to the kitchen where I hear laughter. I recognize Simon and David’s laughs but the third one has a deep, beautiful sound. That’s definitely not the voice I imagined Liam to have but fuck me the reverberation of his laugh is sending chills down my spine.   
When I walk into the kitchen, Liam’s back is to me.   
  
David sees me and smiles “Prince Liam, please allow me the honour of introducing you to my best friend, Katrina Skiba.”  
Liam turns around and I have to catch my breath. The pictures that David sent me did not do Liam any justice. I thought he was good looking but I was plain wrong... This man standing before me, with a smile that could melt panties, is drop dead gorgeous!  
  
“Hi. Nice to meet you.” I squeak and put out my hand for a shake. Liam grabs my hand from underneath and raises it to his mouth for a gentle kiss and he says “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Skiba.”  
“Katrina. Please, call me Katrina.”  
“Katrina” Liam says and he smiles again. I start blushing when Simon asks if we’d like some wine. Liam turns to Simon and says “Wine would be great!”  
  
I silently exhale and I can see David giggling in the corner of my eye. I bring my hand up to my face and gently scratch the corner of my eye with my middle finger in his direction. The action makes him snort. Simon glares at him before handing us each our glass of wine. “To new encounters.”   
We all chink our glasses together and Liam makes eye contact with me which makes me gulp too much wine. The liquid goes down the wrong hole and I immediately start to cough like a mad woman. I excuse myself and go to the powder room.   
  
Once I’m done coughing, I dab the corner of my eyes with some facial tissues to get rid of the tears and to prevent my mascara from leaking. When I step out, I’m greeted by a smiling David.   
“Are you feeling OK?” he asks.  
“Dude, I am seriously going to kill you for setting me up with the hottest man in the world!”  
Chuckling, he puts his arms around my shoulders and says “Supper is ready, you’ll be sitting next to me and across from Liam. He’s a nice guy and I’m 99 percent sure he won’t bite... unless you ask him to.” I laugh and punch David in the shoulder.   
  
We walk into the dining room and I take my place in front of Liam. This guy actually stands up right before I sat down and only once I was seated did he sit.   
  
“Katrina,” Liam says my name and I look his way, “How was your flight to Cordonia?”  
“Oh, I read a book for part of it and slept the rest of the way. It was quite pleasant actually.”  
“That’s great to hear. Now, tell me, what do you do for a living back home?” he asks.   
“David and Simon hasn’t told you?” I ask as he shakes his head. “I used to work full time as a nurse at one of the major hospitals in Montreal until my father got sick. Now I do that part-time so I can help him and my mom.”  
Liam takes a sip of his wine and he says “That’s very noble of you. So many people in the world are worried about themselves but you actually care.” I can see the awe in his eyes when he looks at me.

The conversation was flowing nicely. I found out that he has an older half-brother named Leo who abdicated the thrown and has fraternal twins now, he hates boats, that he’d love to adopt a rescue dog one day and that his mother died when he was ten years old.   
“Oh, I’m so sorry! That must have been so hard on you and Leo” I say. Liam smiles at me and says “You didn’t google me, did you?”  
“No, I wanted to get to know you. Not what google wanted me to know...”   
“That’s a breath of fresh air!” He says before taking another sip of wine.   
  
I put my left elbow on the table with my head leaning on my fist and I’m looking at Liam with a slight smile on my lips.   
“What are you thinking about?” he asks me.  
“Just that you have a very nice jawline...” I blink and shake my head before saying “Sorry.”  
“No need to apologize, I was just thinking to myself that you have a very pretty face” he tells me.  
  
After supper, Simon asks us to go to the living room to relax while he finishes up dessert. Liam holds out his arm for me to take and I put my arm through his.   
“What a gentleman,” I say.  
“My parents will be proud to hear it” he says.   
  
When we get to the living room, I sit down on the love seat and Liam takes a seat next to me. David walks up to the bar and asks if we’d like anything.   
“A bourbon for me, please, David” says Liam.   
“I’ll have a whiskey” I say and Liam looks at me.   
“My best friend will love you. That’s his choice of drink too.”  
“Well, your best friend has great taste in drinks. I can’t wait to meet him” I say with a smile.  
“You’ll be waiting a while. He’s visiting his mom in Texas until the beginning of May.”  
“Well, that’s nice of him!”  
“It would be, but his sister just up and left not long ago so he’s trying to find her” he says with a sad look on his face.   
“Oh...”   
  
Right then, Simon comes into the room with a cart that has the chocolate creme brulees. Liam stands up and Simon says “I thought we could have the dessert her in the living room.”  
“You eat in the living room sometimes?” Liam asks, shocked.   
“Come on, Liam! Kick your shoes off, put your feet on the couch and slum it with us commoners” I say with a grin.   
  
Not long after finishing our dessert, Liam gets a text message. He takes the phone out of his blazer pocket and looks at it. He sighs before saying “Bastien is here to pick me up. I’m sorry Katrina but I have to cut our date short.”   
“That’s OK. I had a blast! Let me walk you to the door” I say and I can see both David and Simon with giant smiles on their faces while cuddling together in an armchair.   
  
Before stepping off the front porch, Liam turns to me and says “Katrina, I had an amazing night. Would it be so bold to ask if we can meet again tomorrow night? I’ll pick you up around 8p.m.”  
“That sounds great!” and Liam nods.   
  
He walks down the steps and starts walking towards a car where his body guard is waiting.   
“Oh wait!” I yell and Liam turns back to me. “What do I wear?”  
Liam gives me a smile and says “Dress casually and bring a sweater” before getting in the car and driving off.


	4. The First Real Date

Liam is very punctual. At 8p.m. on the nose, the doorbell rings as I’m putting on my shoes in my bedroom. I run down the stairs with my sweater in the nook of my elbow and swing the door open. Liam, wearing blue jeans and a zippered sweater that doesn’t have a hood, looks just as handsome as he did yesterday, if not more so.   
  
He looks me up and down and says that I look very pretty, which makes me blush. He holds out his arm for mine and I take it. Before closing the door, I yell “See ya later, David.”  
“Have fun you two!” he calls back.  
  
Liam walks me to the end of the driveway where he parked his car. He takes his keys out of his sweater pocket and clicks it open. He holds the door open for me and once I’m settled, he closes the door behind me. He pops into the driver’s seat and turns on the engine.   
  
“So, where are we going?” I ask.   
“The Palace. My father is out of town for a couple of days so I like to dress down as we say. I also want to show you something.”  
“Oh?”

  
Liam glances over at me for a few seconds before his eyes dart back to the road ahead. He doesn’t say anything else. He just drives. We sit in silence and even though I just met the man yesterday, he doesn’t scare me or anything. He’s calm, funny and kind of flirty. After about five minutes though, I realize there’s a black car with its lights off a couple of paces behind us. Liam notices my sudden change of behavior. My back has straightened, stiff with alertness and my hands are fidgeting.   
  
“Is everything OK, Katrina? You seem a little tense. Did I do anything to make you feel uncomfortable?” he asks.  
“I don’t want to alarm you or anything. I can only imagine that being the future king that many people would want to hurt you or something, but... There’s a black car that has its lights turned off and they’ve been following us for a while now.”  
Liam chuckles and says “That’s Bastien. My bodyguard that you met last night. He’s been behind us since we left the house.”  
“Oh. OH! You can’t imagine how relieved I am right now!” I tell him.  
  
Liam chuckles and says “I’m impressed, Katrina,” he says as I look at him with an arched eyebrow, “not many people would have noticed that. As a Prince, I have to be vigilant and be aware of my surroundings. You appear to have such abilities” he smiles at me.   
“I’m a nurse, I’m constantly reading the room and body language” I tell him.   
“I see. That’s a great quality to have in a Queen-to-be” he cringes the second he realizes what he just said and I straighten my back again.   
  
I keep forgetting that this beautiful man sitting next to me is a Prince. Liam isn’t as arrogant as I thought he would be. He makes being a Prince seem normal. Yes, he has manners and he’s guarded but he’s not a rich, entitled dick.   
  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s refreshing to know someone other than my guards has that certain skill” he says.   
“It’s fine, I don’t scare easily.”  
“Liam chuckles again and I ask him what’s so funny.  
“David told me that you were a fearless Goddess growing up. However, last night you seemed... out of your element” he gives me a cute smile.   
“Well, it’s not everyday you meet a handsome, young Prince who wants to meet a less-than-average plain Jane.”  
“The plain Jane’s are the ones with the biggest hearts. My mother came from a smaller noble house. She grew up in a humble environment and she wanted to help the people of her kingdom more than the power that came with the thrown.”  
  
I nod my understanding.   
_Holy shit! This guy is something else!_ I can actually see myself falling for him.   
  
“We’re here” he says and I look out the passenger window as we pull up to the Palace. I was expecting a castle but what I see here is very different. The Palace is a long, white, three story building with marble stairs and a few columns with ornate decorations. It’s actually quite pretty.

When Liam gets out of the car, I open my own door and get out.   
“I was going to open the door for you” he says.  
“Dude, I can open my own door, thank you.”  
“Dude?”  
“Yeah... Dude” I say with a cheeky grin and Liam laughs.   
“Follow me.”  
  
We walk to the end of the building and on the side is a garden. Since it’s winter, the flowers are not in bloom but it’s still very green. Liam guides me further in the garden and through a hedge archway. Once inside, he says “My mom loved mazes, so she designed this hedge maze.”  
“A maze, eh? Are we going to get lost in here?” I ask.  
“I know where to go but getting lost in here with you wouldn’t be a bad idea,” he smiles.   
“Wow... What a flirt!” and Liam laughs again. _I can definitely get used to hearing that laugh.  
  
_ When we reach the middle, there’s a swing hanging from a giant tree. It’s very pretty with the vines intertwining with the metal chains of the swing and Liam tells me to sit on it so he can push me. He starts by pushing the seat of the swing near my buttocks. I was not expecting that! His touch was gentle.   
  
“Tell me more about your family. Do you have any siblings?” he asks.   
“I have an older brother. He moved to Calgary with his wife for work. They have two boys. And I have a ton of cousins that are like my brothers and sisters. We all grew up within a five minute walk from each other.”  
“What was it like growing up in a big family?”  
“You were never lonely. There was always someone around to cheer you up if you were down. It was great,” I tell him, “I think the only down side is that everyone knew your business. There were eyes everywhere.”  
“I can definitely relate to that last part. As the Prince, everyone is watching you! Waiting for you to make a wrong move” he tells me and it breaks my heart. I stop the swinging by placing my feet on the ground. I stand up and walk around to him and hug him. Moments later, his arms go around my shoulders and he holds onto me tight.   
“I’m sorry. That sounds tough. And I can only imagine the pressure you must feel to be _perfect_ all the time.” Liam’s hold tightens even more around me. “That’s not fair.”  
  
Liam lets go on me and looks at me. I can see tears pooling in the corner of one eye. I can tell he’s holding them back. As a nurse, I see many patients, young, old, male and female, so tears don’t bother me. Without warning, Liam grabs my face and bends down to kiss me gently. I am in a bit of shock since this is technically our first real date and we still know absolutely nothing about the other, but he’s gentle and I start kissing him back.   
  
When we break apart, we are lightly panting and Liam runs his thumb over my lips before kissing me one last time.   
“I should get you home,” he says while holding out his hand for me. I take it and he says “Let’s be off then.”  
  
We make our way out of the maze, Liam opens the car door for me and once he’s settled in his seat, he drives me back to Simon and David’s house.


	5. The Best Friend

Liam and I spent the following month getting to know each other before he asked me if I’d be willing to be the next Queen of Cordonia. He mentioned that he felt a deep connection to me and he admitted that it was absolutely crazy to be _unofficially_ engaged so soon but in his heart, he felt that I was the Queen that Cordonia deserved. It took me a few days to think about it but I ended up agreeing.   
  
Since then, Liam has hired a few tutors to teach me all about the History of Cordonia, the laws and by-laws, the etiquette for, well, everything. _Did you know people had magical items? What the hell, dude?_ And if I wasn’t catching on or just plain didn’t understand something, Liam would walk me around the Palace, showing me paintings or weapons and the stories that go with them.   
  
“How do you know all of this?”  
“I feel like it has been engraved in my brain. I know nearly everything there is to know about this beautiful Country’s history but don’t ask me to cook or wash the dishes, my knowledge is very minimal in those areas” he says.   
“How about, since you’re being a wonderful teacher, I can teach you a few things about being a commoner? I can guarantee you’ll feel closer to your people and their way of living.”  
He comes to a stop in front of the library doors and looks at me with awe. “You’d do that?”  
I place my hands on his shoulders and stand on my toes so I can give him a gentle kiss on the mouth. “Anything you want to learn, just ask me.”

^^^

Liam and I have fallen into a little routine. Every morning, I wake up at the crack of dawn and ride with Simon to the Palace. Liam greets me by the front door and we go over my homework from the night before and take a walk in the gardens before my tutors show up. We have lunch in the giant kitchen where Simon works, I go back to studying and then Liam and I spend a couple of hours together in his study or the library and just talk.   
  
Today, however, he’s not waiting for me at the front doors. Simon can see the disappointment on my face and says “Sometimes there are last minute meetings. He and King Constantine may be talking with some diplomat in China or Australia. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”  
“OK. If you see Liam, tell him to text me.”  
“Will do, Sweetie!” he says with a kiss to my forehead.  
We part ways and I go to the office where I’ve been learning all about Cordonia.   
  
At lunch time, I check my phone to see if Liam has texted me and nothing. I dawdle to the kitchen where Simon has two plates of bacon grilled cheese sandwiches and two bowls of fresh tomato soup. He looks up when I walk in and he frowns.   
“Where’s the Prince?” he asks.  
“I have no clue? He hasn’t called or texted me so... I guess I’m eating alone today.”  
Simon can sense the sadness in my voice so he walks around the enormous kitchen island and wraps his arms around me. “He’s probably just very busy. Sometimes, even the King forgets to eat sometimes because he’s just so overwhelmed by the demands of the neighbouring kingdoms and such. I wouldn’t take it personally. Not to mention, I’ve seen the way Liam looks at you. He cares for you. A lot.”  
I smile at him and thank him in a soft voice.  
  
After lunch, I go back to my lessons and when they are done, I just sit there in the office. I take out my phone and start scrolling through Facebook when my phone starts to ring. It’s Liam’s number and for a split second, I feel relieved to see his face but then I am so angry with him. Why did he wait now to call?   
  
I answer the call and Liam says “Hi Beautiful!”   
“Oh no! Don’t you _Beautiful_ me! If you were busy, you could have texted me or something.”  
“Something came up. Remember my friend who’s sister went missing?”  
“Yeah...”  
“Well, I hired a private investigator,” when he says the words _Private Investigator_ , I nearly start crying, “and he found a solid lead. I went with him to find out more but nothing.”  
“Oh, well, I just wished you would have called me sooner or something. I was kinda worried about you” I admit. “I guess our date tonight is cancelled?”  
“I’m on my way back to the Palace now, I should be back in a few hours. We are still on for our date tonight but it won’t be at the Palace. When I told my friend about the lead, he jumped on a plane from Texas and I think he’ll appreciate a nice cold beer after that long flight.”  
“Liam Rys... Are you taking me out to a bar?”  
“Is that OK with you?” he asks, hesitantly.   
“Is this some kind of ritzy bar or...?”

“No, it’s a dive-bar.”  
“Then I _love_ it! It’s going to be fun!”  
“I’ll pick you up at 10pm, then” he says.  
“I can’t wait!”

Simon drives me back to his place and I get ready for my date with Liam. I am so excited that we will be at some grungy bar with a man who is so proper it sometimes makes me wonder why I’m even with him. Not that I’m into dirty men but it’s fun to get messy sometimes.   
  
The doorbell rings and I slide down the banister to the front door. When I open it, I see Liam standing in front of me with dark jeans and a black t-shirt.   
“Can I just say that you look so _hot_ dressed down. I mean, you look extremely handsome in a suit but, da-yummm, you pull off the _every day guy_ look pretty well.”  
Liam laughs, pulls me to his chest and kisses me intensely. When he breaks away, he looks me up and down and says “And you look like you’re ready for a rodeo. How did you know the bar we are going to is Western-American themed?”  
“One word; Google. It’s the only non-ritzy bar in town.”  
We laugh as we walk to the car.   
  
When we arrive at the bar, Liam and I take a seat at a table for four people. The waitress comes over to take our order.   
“Just an Apple Beer for me, thanks” he says and the waitress looks to me.  
“I’ll have a Whiskey, please.”   
When the waitress places our drinks in front of us, we each take a sip. Liam’s phone starts to buzz in his pocket and he takes it out. He reads a text and types something back. He places his phone on the table and smiles up at me. I can’t wait for you to meet my best friend,” he says as I take another sip of my drink. “It’s his Birthday today and...”  
Before Liam can finish his sentence, I half dribble and half spit out my drink on the table.  
“Oh my God! I’m so sorry!”  
“Are you OK?” Liam eyes me.  
I sigh a few times before finally telling him “When I was little, the lady next door had two kids. Her son was my brother’s age and her daughter was my age. We were constantly together. His Birthday was three days before mine so our parents kind of huddle them together. They moved away when I was eight years old and I haven’t heard from them since. Every year, around my Birthday, I always think about them.”  
“Well, Drake doesn’t like celebrating his Birthday, so...”  
“Drake?”  
Liam’s face then lights up. He stands up and shakes the guys hand and pulls him into a hug. They clap each other’s backs a few times and Liam turns to me and says “Katrina, it is an honour to introduce you to my best friend...”   
As Liam is talking, I look up at my boyfriend’s best friend.  
  
“Drake Walker?”


	6. Remembering Drake

**Katrina, Four years old**

**  
**“Katrina, come outside!” my father yells.  
I get up from the floor of my bedroom, where I was playing _Soccer Barbie_ , and slowly made my way to the front of the triplex my parents owned. When I stepped outside, I noticed a nice looking lady with thick brown hair and she had two kids, one on either side of her.   
“Katrina, Mrs. Walker will be renting the house upstairs and these are her two kids, Drake and Savannah.”  
“Hi,” I say shyly but my brother, Christopher, the ever social butterfly, is already inviting the two kids into our house to play with Lego’s and dinosaurs. I could never be so bold.  
  
The three of them made their way to my brother’s room which was the biggest room right off the kitchen. It used to be my room but I hated being woken up by whoever was making breakfast. That’s when my parents gave me the small room at the front of the house. It was a quiet street so I slept well.   
  
Watching my brother and this kid named Drake bond over Lego’s was fun. They had competitions to see who could build the tallest, most secure tower in two minutes. Savannah was walking along the walls, looking at my brother’s posters. My brother was a space fanatic, every summer he’d go to space camp. The pictures of the stars and planets were very pretty and I can’t blame her for looking. I do the same.

The Walkers had moved in during the month of April and at the beginning of May, we found out that Drake shares the same Birthday as my grand-mother that just past away in December. It was like a small sign that my grand-mother was still here with us. My parents wanted to help out Bianca as much as possible, so they decided to throw a huge party for Drake and I together.

It was the best Birthday party I ever had.

  
**Katrina, Five years old  
**  
Today is the first day of school. Since my aunt lived so close to us, I never went to daycare. Today is the first time I’ll be in a room full of kids my own age. These kids probably already know each other from daycare, which is making me nervous.

As if he can feel my nervousness, Drake, the ten year old boy who I’ve come to adore, gets down on his knees in front of me and says “You got this, kiddo.”  
“No, I don’t.”  
“Yes, you do. I’m nervous too” he says.  
I look him up and down, “You don’t look nervous.”  
“I’ll let you in on a little secret of mine,” he smirks, “before moving here, where I lived, nobody liked me. They would all say things about me and you know what I did?”  
“Beat them up?” I say and Drake laughs. It’s a nice laugh.  
“No, I don’t react. They’ll get bored eventually and move on to someone else.”  
  
I think over what he said and smile at up at him.

**Katrina, Six years old**  
  
This summer, all four of us are going to Space Camp! Savannah and I are in the same group while Drake and my brother are in theirs. It has been fun because when we have some down time at the end of the day, Sav and I chill in my brother’s room with Drake and two other guys who seem cool.

Savannah seems to be more into space than I am. I just love going to the camp for the space simulations where you climb a wall, weightless, or taking a ride on the arm, or being spun around in all directions while being asked questions and asked to used the calculator right next to you.   
  
One day during lunch, I was walking to where Savannah was sitting with a tray in my hands when a huge boy in my group pushed me out of the way so he can get to his friends faster. The push made me fall sideways, making me hit the side of my forehead on the table and my lunch went flying everywhere. When I stood back up, I was bleeding where I had hit my head.   
  
Just then, a blur passes by me and I hear “Why don’t you watch where you’re going, kid?”  
Drake apparently grabbed the kid by the back of his shirt and flung him against the wall while screaming at him.   
  
Drake was kicked out of the camp on the spot. The director called his mom and she came to pick him up. A few days later when camp was done and we went home, I went upstairs with Savannah. Drake was laying down on the sofa, watching TV when he saw me.   
“Hey Skiba, how was the rest of camp?”  
“It was good.”

Savannah went to her room to unpack and I sat down on the other sofa, staring at Drake. He notices me looking at him and he sits up. I get up and sit next to him as a wrap him in my arms.   
“Ummmm, what’s this for?” he says as his arm goes around my shoulder.   
“Thank you for standing up for me. My brother would never do that.”  
Drake’s hold gets stronger and he says “You would have done the same for me.”  
  
Has he met me? I’m so shy and quiet that I can’t even stand up for myself. But then again, I think about what happened three days earlier. If someone had pushed Drake and made him bleed... I probably _would have_ yelled like a banshee.   
  
I probably would do anything for Drake.

**Katrina, Seven years old**

This year, Drake and my brother are in grade seven, meaning we don’t attend the same school anymore, which really sucks. I don’t have the same protection from bullies without them here. All I have is Savannah who is as scrawny as they come.   
  
Evenings are my favourite, though. My parents nearly always invite Bianca and the two kids over for supper. It’s like we’re one big happy family. I’ve always wanted a sister and that’s exactly what Savannah feels like to me. As for Drake, yes, he is exactly like an older brother but he’s a very cute older brother.   
  
I can see us being one big happy family for the rest of our lives.

  
**Katrina, Eight years old**

The Walker kids were over at my place and we were singing some songs from the karaoke machine I got for my Birthday. Drake surprisingly has an amazing voice, except for when his voice cracks because of puberty.   
  
All of a sudden, there’s a banging on the door over and some man screaming “Bianca, I know you’re in there!”  
Drake and Savannah look at each other and say “Dad?” right before running to the door to see if it’s really him. They open the front door and come face to face with a tall, handsome man. Bianca is standing next to him.  
“Dad!” Savannah yells and jumps into his arms.  
“Hi, sweetheart. Oh, how I’ve missed you.”  
Drake moves closer and wraps his arms around his dad and sister.   
“Are you moving here with us, Dad?”  
“No baby, I’m here to bring you back home to Cordonia. My undercover mission is finished and we can all go home now.”  
  
A week later, Jackson, Bianca, Drake and Savannah are all packed up and ready to go. Savannah and I hug while Drake and my brother shake hands. Before Drake can turn around, I run up to him and hug him tightly around his waist. He kneels down in front of me and says “Remember, be bold and don’t take no shit from anybody.”  
I smile at him and I can feel the tears pooling at the corner of my eyes.   
  
When the Walkers drive down the street and turn the corner, I run into my room and cry my little eyes out until I pass out.

**Katrina, three days shy of turning Twenty-Five in Cordonia**

“Drake Walker?”


	7. The Bar

Well, slap my ass and call me cowboy! Never in a million years would I have ever thought I’d see Drake Walker in the flesh. And what are the fucking chances he’s best friends with Liam Fucking Rys, _my_ _unofficial_ _fiancé_. This world is so fucking small it’s crazy! Who in their right mind would think that her best friend would be married to a chef, who happens to cook for the King of Cordonia, who happens to have a son that I’m dating, whose best friend is Drake Walker, the boy who lived in the duplex above mine when I was younger? Again, small fucking world...  
  
I put my glass down on the table, stand up and wrap Drake in a powerful hug. My eyes start watering and I hear Drake whisper “Skiba?” so I look up at him and smile.  
  
He grabs my shoulders and holds me at arms length. He looks at my face intently and focuses on the little black mole I have at the upper left corner of my lip. “Holy crap! It is you!” he says excitedly before pulling me into a bruising hug. I wrap my arms around him again and hold back a sob. Why am I feeling so emotional all of a sudden? God, it’s been so long since I’ve seen him but he taught me to stand my ground, to be tough, to take no crap from anybody, and for that I am grateful. He’s the reason I became the person I am and the reason David and Simon swore that I was the right person for Liam.   
  
Liam!

I look over at my man and smile.   
“Liam, this is the boy I was just talking about. He was my neighbour growing up!” I tell him.   
He thinks about it and says “Oh, that must have been during the four years Jackson was on a mission for my father,” he turns to Drake, “I didn’t know, or ask, for that matter, where you relocated. Sit, let me buy you a Birthday drink.”   
  
Drake takes a seat next to Liam and he won’t stop staring at me with an awkward smile on his face. If I remember correctly, he didn’t smile much as a kid so I have a feeling he’s kept that up over the years. Not to mention, Liam has mentioned a few times that Savannah has gone missing so that must be weighing a lot on Drake. He orders himself a whiskey and the three of us clink our glasses together before taking a sip.

It was amazing catching up with Drake. He told me all about his move back to Cordoniaand reconnecting with Liam. He mentioned that he’s had a few jobs here and there and that his favourite was being a stable hand since it reminded him of the Walker Ranch back in Texas. He loves the outdoors and he loves the majestic horses.   
  
The three of us talked about everything and anything-except for the subject of Savannah- up until the bar tender rang a bell, letting the patrons know it was last call.

We walked out of the bar together and I gave Drake another hug before parting ways. Liam opens the passenger door for me and before I get in, I turn around and yell out across the parking lot “Hey Walker!” Drake looks up at me and then I say “Happy Birthday, old man!” He smiles and shoots back “Whatever, Skiba.”  
  
The drive back to David and Simon’s house is quiet. I reach over and grab Liam’s hand. He glances my way and hesitates before he smiles at me.   
“It seems like you and Drake were pretty close during those four years,” he finally says.   
“He was like an older brother, sticking up to my bullies for me or listening to me when I was sad, or...” I hesitate, “and please don’t tell him I told you this, but I got him to play Barbies and Dinosaurs with me a few times.”  
Liam laughs so hard the car swerves into the next lane. Thank God there we’re the only car on the road.  
“I’ll take that to my grave!”  
“You better,” I tell him, “I just got back one of the greatest friends I’ve ever had and I can’t lose him again!”  
  
Liam is quiet for a couple dozen of seconds before he says “Drake is pretty awesome, isn’t he?”  
I nod, “He definitely is...”  
  
When we get to my friends house, Liam walks me to the front door and kisses me goodnight. The kiss starts off slow but then he pushes me up against the door and deepens the kiss. My arms fly around his neck and I let my fingers run through his hair. Suddenly, it not Liam kissing me but Drake and I moan into his mouth. My hands come down to Liam’s chest and I gently push him away from me.   
“Goodnight, Liam.”  
“Goodnight, Beautiful.”   
  
I wait until the car is out of sight before running into the house and up the stairs into my room. I shut the door behind me, lean my back on it and run my hands over my face.   
_What the fuck was that, Katrina?_ I ask myself.  
I spend five month with Liam, five wonderful months with a gorgeous man who actually wants to get to know me. A man I... I have no sexual attraction to...  
But then, I spend five hours with Drake and I want him to be the one kissing me? I want to unbutton his denim shirt then lift that white shirt of his to run my fingers over his abs and down to his V-line. I want to pull down his jeans and boxers just to get a peek at his...   
  
_Oh my God! What is wrong with you?  
_ Needless to say, sleep doesn’t come easy for me tonight and when it does, it’s filled with one Drake Walker and his hands all over my body.


	8. The Fitting

On Monday morning, I wake up at the ass-crack of dawn and join Simon for the trip to the Palace. It’s a quiet trip and I’m thankful for that. Yesterday, I pretty much stayed in my room all day to avoid their questions of whether I had fun at the bar with Liam and Drake. To be perfectly honest, I did have a lot of fun. But I also feel like I am betraying my best friends. David and Simon set me up with the Prince, who is a magnificent man. A man worthy of love and respect. And I do respect him... _I just don’t love him._

Simon brings the car around back and parks in his spot. He turn off the engine then turns to me.   
“You’ve been awfully quiet since your date,” he says, “would you like to talk about it?”  
“Not really,” I tell him but he knows me well enough that he just sits there, waiting for me to speak. “I met Drake Walker.”  
“Liam’s best friend. He’s a nice guy. Sticks to himself mostly but he’s very loyal to Liam.”  
“He’s an amazing friend...” I say, looking at my feet.   
“What’s wrong, Katrina? You can tell me.”  
“Promise you won’t tell David?” I ask and he nods.   
  
Simon has always been the more mellow between the two. If I were to tell David what I’m about to say, he’d flip the fuck out and I’ll never hear the end of it. Simon on the other hand, he understands that life is not all unicorn farts, rainbow dust and lucky charms marshmallows. Simon understands that life is not black and white. Simon knows more than anyone that there is a whole world of grey out there.  
  
“Two nights ago wasn’t the first time I met Drake. He was my neighbour way before I was friends with you and David. Drake was much more to me than a neighbour though, he was like a brother to me. He kept me safe from bullies and... He was just the bestest. Seeing him has, I don’t know how to explain it.” I take a deep breath, “Being near Drake made me feel things that I haven’t felt since Damien,” I admit.  
  
Long story short, Damien was my boyfriend when I was nineteen years old. He was seven years older than me and a cop who decided to become a private investigator. His boss gave him an assignment to follow some hot shot corporate man in New York City, for a client. There hasn’t been word from him since the day he left. Damien is missing, presumed dead.   
  
Simon looks at me and asks, “What about Liam?”  
“I like Liam very much, Si. But, he doesn’t get my blood pumping. I don’t want to let him down either. I know he wants to marry for love and not some crown chaser... God! The man is going to have to rule a country and I understand he’ll want someone by his side that he trusts, someone who won’t stab him in the back every chance they get.”  
“Let me stop you there,” Simon says as he places his hand on my thigh. “Why don’t you tell this to Liam? There have been many Cordonian nobles who aren’t exactly in love each and had, you know, people on the side.”  
“That’s not what Liam is looking for. He is a very nice guy and he deserves to have love. I love him as a friend but not... not the way he wants.”  
  
I look up at Simon, deciding once and for all what I’m going to do.   
“Liam is my fiance. I will become his wife and Queen of Cordonia. I will help him in any way I can and support him through thick and thin. This is a beautiful Country and she deserves to be treated well. So does Liam. My life in Montreal was boring. This is a pretty cool adventure. I mean, I’ve only been here for five months. That’s not nearly long enough to truly know a person inside and out and to fall in love with him. I am comfortable around Liam which is huge!”  
“Yeah, it is!”  
“So yeah, I think I’ll just need more time with him.”  
“And Drake?” he asks as I shrug.   
“Like I said, he was like a brother to me.”  
  
^^^  
  
After the day of lessons, Liam and I meet up in the living room. We are talking while watching the gardeners care for the lawn and flowers when the door to the room opens. I turn around to see who it is and to my surprise, it’s Drake. He looks like a deer caught in headlights.   
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he says while backing out.  
“Nonesense, my friend! Katrina and I were just talking about how we used to play tag in the maze when we were younger. Remember the time when we snuck out of a ball fell asleep in the tree?” Liam laughs at the memory.   
  
Drake looks like he wants to be anywhere but here which makes me feel a bit sad. He is someone I used to be so close to and now he feels like a stranger.   
“Haha, yeah... Good times...” he says, and it doesn’t sound like he means it.   
“Speaking of Balls, there’s going to be one this Saturday. My father has invited the Prime Minister of France, mainly, and a few other diplomats from other countries around Europe.”  
“What is this gathering for?” I ask, curious about the random Ball.   
“Something to do with jobs, labour, social reform and economic growth across Europe.”  
“Why would your father host a Ball instead of like a meeting or something?”  
“I don’t understand my father at times but I hope you’ll attend with me. Your teachers think you’re ready to get your feet wet,” he smiles down at me before turning to Drake, “you’ll be there too, right?”   
  
Drake coughs into his drink and nods.   
“Good,” turning back to me, “you’ll have the rest of the week off. I’ve made arrangements for you to meet with the Royal Seamstress tomorrow at noon to discuss what kind of dress you’d like. Then you’ll come to the Palace when needed for fittings. Sounds good?”  
I can only nod. Liam then wraps an arm around my shoulder and holds me close to him as he kisses my forehead. I look up at him and he smiles down at me.   
  
^^^  
  
Over the next few days, the fittings are going well. I’m not exactly pleased that the seamstress wants to put me in a corsetted dress and on the Friday, the day before the Ball, it seems like she altered my dress a bit too much.   
“Oh, it’s nothing, Dear,” she objects, “you’ll just have to hold your breath a bit while I tie up the corset.”  
She pulls the strings harder until my stomach is flat and all the fat has nowhere to go but into my organs or up towards my breasts. She moves to face me and she smiles, “Now this I can work with.”   
  
I try to release my breath but it’s stuck in my lungs so I take short and shallow breaths just to get some oxygen in my system. I start feeling faint and I barely hear the knock on the door. The Royal Seamstress looks at her watch and says “Oh my, look at the time, my next appointment is here. I should’ve known to schedule it a bit later. Your dress is a rather _big_ job,” she says as she leaves to open the door.   
Despite not being able to focus much, I did not miss the double meaning about the word fat. I wanted to scream at her and tell her to fuck off but I just did not have the means to do it. My energy was being zapped by a goddamn corset. _That’s it... this is how it ends. Death by corset!  
  
_ _ **SNAP!**_ _  
_I hear and feel one of the boning in the corset break and I get a few seconds of relief until a different kind of pain sets in. _  
  
_The door opens and I see the man that has been appearing in my dreams all week. Drake looks so handsome in his dark jeans and white shirt. He’s so sexy it takes my breath away. Well, it would have but I’m currently running low on that at the moment. When he sees me, he frowns and asks if I’m OK.  
  
The next thing I know, I’m waking up in a hospital bed, Liam to my right, holding my hand and Drake standing at the foot of my bed.   
“Hey Beautiful! How are you feeling?”  
My eyelids feel heavy so I close my eyes but I say “I’m in a lot of pain. What happened?”  
“Your corset was too tight and it broke. One of the metal parts punctured your lungs. You were bleeding and then you fainted. Thank God Drake was there because he picked you up and drove you to the hospital right away.”  
“So, I have a chest tube?”  
“Yes, and you’ll be staying here for a few days, for observation. Drake and I will come to visit whenever we can. I’ll get Simon and David to come here as well,” Liam tells me in a soft voice.   
“What about the Ball? You want me there...”  
“Your recovery is more important than a Ball.”   
  
Liam leans over and gently kisses me on the lips. My eyes search for Drake and I see him look away with a pained face. It must be weird seeing his best friend, who is like a brother, kissing the girl he once thought of as a sister. _Yeah! That would be weird!_

“I’ll be back soon, Beautiful,” he says as he stands up and leaves the room.  
Drake stares at the door where Liam just left and I thank him for helping me out. “Just like old times.”  
He walks to the side of the bed and sits down on the chair.   
“When you fell and hit your head... Well, good thing you’re short,” Drake jokes.   
I can’t help but laugh but the chest tube and the throbbing from my head causes me to wince in pain. “Owww!”  
“Sorry, Skiba.”  
  
There’s a long silence. It’s a bit uncomfortable but at least I can pretend I’m resting and close my eyes to make this less awkward.   
“Are you awake?” Drake asks.   
“Yeah... What’s up?”  
“Liam was so angry when he found out what had happened. The seamstress came here to get her dress back and when she saw it was cut by scissors, she flipped out. Liam,” he pauses, “I had never seen Liam so mad in my life. He was shouting at her about caring more for the fabric in her hands than the future Queen of Cordonia. Then he fired her on the spot.”  
“Goddammit.”  
“What? Are you in more pain? I can call the nurse to see if you can have any pain meds.”  
  
Drake is about to stand up from the chair but I grab his hand to keep him sitting.  
“You see this box here?” I point with my left hand, “It’s called a patient controlled analgesia or a PCA. I can control the pain meds I get by pressing this button, right here,” I show him the drake grey cord with a green and red button on the end.   
“So press it!” he exclaims. Keeping his hand in mine, I tell him, “I’m not in pain. I’m just upset that Liam would put me in this position.”  
  
Drake gives me a _what the fuck are you talking about_ look. I smile at him and explain “If I’m to be the future Queen of Cordonia, I don’t need his people hating me right off the bat. I know she didn’t like the fact that I am fat, but...”  
“Don’t bring yourself down like that. You are beautiful, just like Liam says. Remember, don’t let the bullies win. Do not let them din your shine,” Drake leans over and kisses my forehead. “I have to go, I’ll see you tomorrow.”   
“Bye.”   
  
As Drake leaves through the threshold, I see Liam greet him with a smile.   
“My dad just called and I am needed back at the Palace. Will you be OK on your own?” Liam asks me and I nod. “Good, I should be back a bit later.”  
  
 _I wonder how much of the conversation he overheard._ It’s not like Drake and I said anything scandalous, but he did call me beautiful...   
  
  



End file.
